New Dawn

By Travis James

Book Two of the Thoth Scrolls series: This book is set two hundred years after a catastrophic world war. Lacking all services, the people of Earth are struggling to regain the life they once enjoyed. One society begins to look beyond its city limits by asking what other societies survived the war. This is the story of one survey team’s journey and especially the ventures of one young woman. A woman who is destined to usher in the beginnings of a New Dawn. She will lead her people forward totally unaware that Earth’s history is being controlled by forces completely outside her imagination.

Jennifer, having graduated as a chronicler and medic, joins her father’s survey team. Like the other teams, their task is to contact other societies and to find equipment and books that can be salvaged.
The team discovers cities where technology has progressed unabated while other groups have devolved to an almost tribal existence. The team’s exploits arouse the interest of the World Committee who need to know more about the peoples and conditions that exist. Jennifer and her father are summoned to a meeting where they discover the true extent of the committee’s activities and discover that people still live in the Space Station. Her true adventure will begin.

A near fatal wound exposes the fact she was born of the lineage of the Egyptian God Thoth, a being who had been sent to Earth to foster mankind’s evolution from the Neanderthal to Homo sapiens. This blood line has given her immortality. She will join others who had walked the Earth for millennium. These experiences along with her spiritual guide will give her the skills and the wisdom to become part of the World Committee and eventually become its Chairperson.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Travis James
• Release date: Apr 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005734800

Book preview

Prologue

In one of the spiral arms of the Milky Wave, there exists a blue and white planet. At one time it sailed slowly through space proudly broadcasting its presence to all those who cared to listen. It was populated by a technologically advanced being that were, for the first time in their history, beginning to see the age-old barriers of ignorance and prejudice disappear. Their technology was bringing the sights and sound of all the beings of the planet to everyone’s homes, schools and workplaces. The common prayer was that this age of technology would finally bring forth a time of world peace.

Now two hundred years later, that planet still sails though space but it no longer broadcasts its presence, it is quiet now almost as if it is ashamed of what happened. The beings that populate this world had one week of utter madness, one week that destroyed almost everything they had worked so hard to achieve. Now that dream is finally reawakening. A New Dawn is approaching.

Chapter 1: Horrington USA,

Tuesday 23rd of March 2213

DAD! MUM! There’s a man in my room, Screamed the ten-year-old Jennifer.

Jason, still sleep drunk, raced through the house bouncing off the walls as he raced to protect his daughter.

There’s no one here Jenny, he rubbed his bruised elbow, noticing a small amount of blood where the wooden panels had abraded the skin. He sat on the side of her bed and comforted his shaking daughter.

But there was dad, over there, the still sobbing girl said, pointing to an area near her wardrobe.

The father stood up and opened the wardrobe, it was full of the girl’s clothes, he pulled then aside; there was no one there.

Dad he was there. He looked just like Chan’s father but with no hair, she was beginning to calm down.

What’s up? The girl’s brother, David, walked in; he had been awoken by the commotion.

Jenny thinks she saw a man in her room.

I didn’t see anybody, said the boy as he yawned his way down the corridor to the toilet.

You were just dreaming.

He was here, demanded the girl.

Come and sleep with us? said Jason as he helped his daughter out of her bed.

As she climbed into her parent’s bed, she wondered why her mother had not bothered to come to find out what was happening.

Later, as she lay between her parents, the alcohol on her mother’s breath reminded her of her mother’s habit of drinking herself to sleep after she and her father had one of their increasingly frequent fights.

Chapter 2: Kennedy Space Port

Monday 15th of March 2032

Launch Manager John McKaskill stood on the viewing platform and watched the tenth supply shuttle begin its slow push up towards the Space Station.

He shook his head; he missed the roar of flames and the sound reverberating around him. The sky lighting up with the yellow glow of night launches. These new shuttles used antigravity systems, which meant they did not have to reach the so-called, escape velocity. All the new sputter engines had to do was supply the minimal amount of energy needed to overcome the shuttle’s inertia. The shuttles just seemed to float up off the launch pads. As the craft slowly climbed, his mind slid to his love of the old steam powered locomotives and how they expressed their sheer power through the smoke belching from the smokestack, the rumbling noise and the hissing stream.

The mere thought made him smile. These new electric trains did not inspire him one bit, but then that’s progress. He shook his head at the loss of this simple boyhood pleasure. He had a quiet chuckle to himself; someone had tried to convince him that even at rest these shuttles had already reached escape velocity as soon as the antigravity units were switched on; somehow, his mind could not quite accept that. He sometimes doubted that these so-called experts really knew what they were talking about, preferring to think of them as drips under pressure, but then they were paid the big salaries to know these things!

Three more to go over the next four days and the Space Station would be fully stocked and able to sustain itself. He wished he had more time but someone in Washington had decided that speed was of the essence.

He watched the craft turn on its back and wing its way eastward as it gained altitude. He looked at the video of the empty launch pad; tomorrow another shuttle would repeat that same exercise that was, providing this China thing did not blow up. He shook his head at the stupidity. He always thought he was on the side of truth and justice, but now he was beginning to question the sanity of the American politicians. They wanted to stop the Chinese developing a similar system to what they called the Tesla Power Generator; there was simply far too much money to be made to let that happen. They had applied for worldwide patents but these had been rejected by the world-court. This co-called Matrix Science belonged to no one, it was given to the world but America had claimed it for themselves. In response to Chinese complaints, America had sent a reconnaissance aircraft over China to photograph their development. It had clashed with a Chinese fighter plane causing the fighter to crash, killing pilot. Now they were threatening military action if the Chinese continued development.

He looked up. The shuttle was well on its way. This time tomorrow, it would be in orbit waiting for the Space Station personnel to guide it to the parking spot. He tried to image the thirteen shuttles being parked like giant semi-trailers waiting in line to disgorge their cargo.

He sighed, this had been a long and drawn out operation, eight more days and he could take a holiday. Two weeks relaxing, fishing and reading, providing he could convince his wife that nothing needed to be done around the home, again, he smiled to himself, there was always something.

Chapter 3: War starts

Wednesday 17th of March 2032

The crews worked well but the political tensions along with the workload were beginning to have an effect; mistakes were being made. Shuttle 12 barely reached a thousand feet before it blew itself apart. Five crew killed and a hundred tons of equipment destroyed. The backup shuttle would have to be prepared and the supplies trucked in from the warehouses, more delays. He could see his holidays vanishing before his eyes, now he felt tired, very tired.

****

John McKaskill stood by his office window and watched number 13 lift off, a perfect trajectory. He looked at the calendar, the seventeenth; despite the loss of number 12; not bad; he gave himself a congratulatory nod. The replacement for number twelve would not be ready for at least a week; some of the machinery had to be shipped in from the eastern seaboard. There was little he could do, he would take a break, but he knew the phone would be ringing continually, everyone would have questions for him; there would be all sorts of minor emergencies before number twelve left the launch pad.

The tension in Europe was escalating; over two million men faced each other. Hundreds of thousands more men were streaming towards the battlefront from both sides. Every form of transport was commandeered. The newspapers were predicting that the war would start and be over before the reinforcements set foot in Eastern Europe.

He looked forward to going home and having a good night's sleep, he had been here since number 12 disintegrated. The drive home normally took him less than an hour but for some reason there was a lot more traffic on the road tonight all headed in the same direction. Everyone seemed desperate to be away from the Cape; ninety minutes later he walked through his front door.

They’re using atomic bombs, cried his wife as she heard him come in.

Shit no! he ran to the television.

It’s on CNN, she stood there with her hands to her mouth, tears rolling down her face. I’ll call the kids. However, she did not move.

They stood together and watched the announcer calmly tell her American viewers that the Chinese had dropped three nuclear bombs on the allied troops. The McKaskills stared at the screen. They heard the announcer then state that the American government had authorised a retaliatory strike.

Oh God No... No…Let’s not get involved with this.

They did not have an evening meal; the horror of what they were seeing was just too great. By midnight, both sides had traded several nuclear weapons; Eastern Europe was quickly becoming a radioactive wasteland. At a little past one o’clock the announcer, looking tired and haggard simply told her viewers that communications with Europe were down and there was no more news. She stood up, wished everyone good luck and walked off the set. Nothing changed for over an hour; the same shot of an empty News Desk, the same news running across the bottom of the screen. Nuclear weapons traded by both sides, no indication of death toll.

The morning’s papers were full of the war. They told how each side had blasted the other’s army with nuclear weapons. Several of the McKaskill’s friends had rung them telling them that they were packing up and leaving Cape Kennedy to head inland away from the major cities.

John McKaskill stood by his car ready to drive to work. He looked at the fear on the faces of the people driving past on their way out of town. For the first time in his life, he thought his wife and children were more important than his position at the Space Port.

Charlet let’s pack up, I’ll call the kids, we’ll …, the sentence was never finished. A Chinese nuclear weapon exploded a little over a kilometre way. The heat blast, travelling at the speed of light, immediately incinerated the side of the house, a second later the windblast imploded the McKaskill’s house like a house of cards. The few parts that did manage to stay together flew off the foundations and joined the rest of the burning debris cascading its way down the street. The rolling jumble of debris moved down the street like a giant bulldozer pushing everything before it. By the time the blast had passed by only the concrete foundations bore evidence that houses once stood there.

The cars driving down the highways were picked up by an invisible scoop and tossed end over end until a great pile of cars rested against the remains of the sports stadium. Within seconds, the pile of twisted metal burst into a fireball. Screaming bore witness there were some who were not lucky enough to have been killed by the impact.

Everything was covered with burning timber and the occasional piece of household furniture; scattered amongst this debris were the bodies of the people who once laughed and lived in the neighbourhood. The remains of John McKaskill’s body lay under a pile of roofing metal; his wife’s body lay a kilometre away, wedged in the smouldering skeleton of a large tree. Burning embers and ash now started to fall from the sky, covering everything with a layer of smoking, black grey dust. Any timber not already alight quickly burst into flames. Within minutes the out-rush of wind had slowed, turned and became a mighty in-rush. Great quantities of timber suddenly grew as the back draft piled all the loose timber into huge stacks around any immovable structure. These stacks started to smoulder and within an hour had become giant funeral pyres.

Life as they knew it in the West came to a sudden and permanent halt. Most of the world’s major cities received direct hits from missiles the Western World’s intelligence agencies had declared did not have the range to reach.

Still the fighting went on in Europe. With the news of the attacks on their homelands, the soldiers on both sides knew that the supplies they had now were all they were going to get. It was up to the individual to make the difference. Each side knew the others had destroyed their cities, killed their people by the millions. Raw hatred fuelled the soldiers. They had to win the war. With the devastating losses of both men and equipment, the soldier’s capabilities were reduced to conventional weapons. The pain each soldier felt, drove them to attack time after time.

More atomic weapons were sent from the Americas and Europe towards China; millions more were killed.

Finally, four days after the initial atomic strike on the Americas, a grieving General in the United States Army issued orders to release the last great weapon in the arsenal. These missiles did not carry atomics; they carried pathogens. Within hours of the first strikes, rockets from China, North Korea and other aligned nations were winging their way towards the west. By day seven, the war was over, there were not enough soldiers left to fight. Those who had survived the atomic blasts and the fighting had been killed by the plague that swept over the land.

Perhaps as a blessing, they would never know that by the end of June, over eighty percent of the world’s population would be dead as the winds carried the plague over all the land masses in the northern hemisphere. Other winds moved the plague down the African and Asian continents. Infected people would carry the plague to areas were the wind had not reached. By the end of September, the plague had brought the deaths up to ninety one percent. The end of January 2033 saw starvation and disease begin to reduce the world’s population even further so that just seven percent of the world’s people survived.

Of all the major nations, only two escaped the plague, Australia and New Zealand. Although Sydney had received a direct hit by a small conventional warhead, the rest of the country remained unaffected. A cruel but effective decision was unilaterally made. No one was allowed to land in Australia or New Zealand. Within a day of receiving conformation of the effects and the spreading of the plague, the Governments of Australia and New Zealand had joined forces to send ships, planes and soldiers to the northern reaches of Australia.

Each day the joint air force would seek out and destroy the ever-increasing numbers of craft trying to cross the Timor Sea to the north of Australia. Other military attachments were stationed on Badu and Moa islands, from where aircraft patrolled the Torres Straight Islands.

Over the next four months, the seas around Northern Australia became a graveyard for would-be refugees. Even as the new year began the patrols were maintained, the number of ships had dwindled to less than one per month, but the fear of the disease and what it could do to these two countries was ever present in the governments’ minds.

The doctors had repeatedly told their respective governments that, in their opinion, the plague would have died out, anyone trying to cross the straight would be free of the plague. Finally, in March the following year after seeing no boats, the patrols were abandoned completely.

Chapter 4: Broome, Australia,

April 2034

A party of Indonesians landed near the town of Broome and calmly walked into the police station and asked for refuge. Having been instructed that the disease threat was over, Police Sergeant Cuzac gave them his blessing on the proviso that the doctor gave them a clean bill of health. He did not even take down their names or how many there were. Of the twenty-three who landed the day before, only twenty fronted up to the doctor. Having been given the medical all clear, the twenty returned to the police station to show their health certificates.

As a gesture to its multi-cultural past the Anglo-Indonesian population in Broome had a small amount of money that was given to anyone who sought their help. Armed with this money the twenty joined their three comrades and set out for the local supermarket. All the time they were shopping in the supermarket, the three sick refugees continued to cough and spray mucus over everyone and everything.

Doctor Mercer was used to patching up the occasional knife and even gunshot wound without asking too many questions, the people up here played hard and rough. However, considering the dangerous lifestyle they led, the people were generally quite healthy. But when one of the three Indonesians presented at his clinic, he was coughing up mucus, and his face was covered with sores. Not having an appointment, the receptionist told him he would have to wait until the doctor had a free appointment. The man sat there for nearly two hours while fifteen people came and went. Finally, the receptionist ushered him in to the surgery.

The doctor thought he saw the symptoms of leishmaniasis and wrote a prescription but just as he was about to hand the script over his intuition made him look again, leishmaniasis doesn’t normally cause this type of coughing, he then decided to get a blood sample. When he reached for a needle the patient looked in horror and motioned that he did not want an injection. Again, the man coughed spraying the doctor with particles of saliva.

Hell, man put your hand over your bloody mouth, muttered the doctor as he used the back of his hand to wipe the droplets off his face. I have to do this; I need to confirm that you have leishmaniasis Now hold still.

Seeing the doctor was intent on taking blood, the man jumped up, burst past the doctor and ran out the door.

Stop him! the doctor shouted to his receptionist, but she was too slow, the patient had run, coughing, through the waiting room and out into the street.

****

Sergeant Cuzac staggered to the police station, coughing as his lungs became increasingly congested with phlegm. He went straight to the emergency logbook, looked up the CDNA number and dialled.

Communicable Diseases Network Australia, answered the bored receptionist.

We’ve got the plague here in Broome, he panted through the pain of burning lungs.

Shit! You sure? Suddenly the world had changed.

Yeh! Get someone who can help.

Doctor Willshop here, what’s this about the plague?

Listen doc, half the town’s down with it.

Okay calm down my man. What have they got? Describe this ‘plague’ to me, to Willshop, the plague turning up after all this time was simply out of the question.

As the sergeant described his own symptoms the doctor became increasingly nervous.

Ahh! Hang on sergeant, I’ll be right back.

All the sergeant could do was slump down to the floor; the strength had gone out of his legs.

No, it can’t be the plague, must be some tropical disease. Get the doctor to ring us and we’ll tell him what to do. Bye, the doctor in Canberra hung up and without a single thought about the phone call, went back to the discussion about the possibility of gout being a hereditary condition.

The sergeant did not have the strength to swear at the stupid bastard. He let the handpiece drop as he crawled towards the door. By the end of the day he too was dead.

Doctor Willshop, went about his normal duties as though nothing had happened, it was only after hearing one of his colleagues talk about the tests he’d read about that showed the plague used in the American missiles had mutated and now had a far longer life.

How long? Willshop asked nervously.

We aren’t sure but it could still be alive in some areas, came his answer.

My God, that cop was right, they have the plague, his face was white as he realised the enormity of his mistake, how many people would die because he was too interested in that blasted discussion.

Where?

In Broome. The Police Sergeant, can’t remember his name, rang here, ahh two days ago saying half the towns folk were covered with blisters and pussy sores.

And you didn’t report it?

Willshop shook his head. His usual practice was to try to blame someone else when things went wrong, but he could not do it this time.

Shit! Let’s get to the Director, she needs to know, The other man almost pulled Willshop’s arm out of its socket as he took off down the hall.

Doctor Maris Kowalski was not a tolerant woman, and when it came to Willshop, she was even less so. Despite her diminutive size, the whole of the CDNA was afraid of her tongue-lashings. Willshop tried to put as much distance between himself and the Director as possible while he told the story of the phone call. Instead of yelling at him, she slowly sat down and looked at him.

Now you really have stuffed up, Willshop was not known to be the most conscientious person in CDNA; several times he had come perilously close to being fired because of his mistakes.

Willshop, pack your bags you’re going to Broome.

But…but I’ve got things to do here.

For Christ sake Willshop. You fucked up. Now you can get that tinplated arse up there and try to contain this thing.

What about…

Get up there, I’ll organise an emergency team to go up with you, The director of Communicable Diseases Network Australia was fuming, this arsehole had fucked up again, now it had cost lives and let the plague get a hold in Australia.

Can’t we ring the doctor?

And do what? Get him to describe the symptoms... again? If he’s still alive.

What about the cop?

He’s probably dead by now, the director looked straight at the him with a macabre sense of pleasure that belied the gravity of the situation, she delighted in seeing the man’s expression change as he realised the seriousness of the situation.

Director, Willshop here, The line cracked as a thunderstorm passed over central Australia.

Kowalski. What’s the situation like up there? not that she needed to announce who was calling. Willshop was well used to hearing her voice.

Pretty grim, nearly all the towns folk are dead, the rest are not far behind them.

Can you contain it?

Not sure, the locals say a number of the local people have left town and are wandering around in the bush. They could easily pass it on.

What are you going to do about that?

We need the army up here, to help us round them up.

The director thought for a few seconds, she had already kept her minister informed about what had happened, not forgetting to mention Willshop’s name on several occasions. Okay I’ll get it organised. You just stay there.

****

Doctor Willshop? asked the Lieutenant. His troop had just arrived and was starting to set up a camp at the airport.

I’m Lieutenant Lowitz. What do we do now? I have three surgical teams with me.

Willshop’s shoulders slumped, I don’t need surgical teams there’s almost no one left alive. I need soldiers, how many do you have?

None, we’re a field emergency team, not combatants.

Christ sake! Get on to your commander. Some of the local people have taken to the bush; it’s likely they are carrying the plague. You’ll have to round up everyone you come across and bring them back here. We can inoculate the healthy ones and keep the sick ones comfortable until they die, he looked at the young lieutenant.

You can’t let any escape, if they do, they’ll infect others, then we’ll never get a hold of this. You are authorised to shoot anyone who resists, he waited for this to sink in. Do you understand?

Lowitz stood stock still as the order sank in. You are asking me to shoot them?

No, I’m not asking, I’ll telling you. There’s too much at stake.

But….

Listen Lowitz, if one gets away he could infect others and that could spread to all of Australia, He waited for the Lieutenant to absorb this. Willshop wished he was exaggerating, but he knew he wasn’t.

How far do we go out?

As far as you can walk in two weeks and double it.

That’s a bloody lot of area.

I know! But just think about the consequences if we don’t stop this fucking thing here. Now get some troops up here.

Doctor I can’t order my men to shoot them.

Lieutenant, I’m ordering you to bring in every person you find in a couple of hundred kilometre radius, I’m telling you that if they don’t come in willingly and resist, then you MUST stop them getting away, even if that means shooting them. Do you understand?

But…

You have your orders Lieutenant.

Willshop sat down and put his head in his hands, Oh Shit! Now what do I do?

Chapter 5: Horrington USA,

Tuesday 1st of July 2219

Don’t be afraid Jennifer; I’m not going to hurt you.

She sat bolt upright. The Chinaman was back. She had almost forgotten about their last encounter six years ago. She tried to yell but nothing came out. She tried to get out of bed but her legs would not work. Her heart was thumping so hard she was sure it would wake her mother.

Be calm my child I mean you no harm. My name is Wang Soo. I’m your protector.

What? The girl was beginning to regain some of her composure. Fear inflected her voice to a slightly higher pitch.

Remember the discussion you had with the woman who told you she was a medium? She is right. The dead can stay attached to the world. She spoke to you to prepare you for my visit tonight.

But… Are you dead? Now the fear was overcome by curiosity. He did not appear to be posing any threat to her.

Yes, I passed over in 2013. I’ve come tonight to tell you I’ll always be here to guide and protect you.

He stepped forward and looked down at the child, innocent but the strength of her spirit was beyond measure.

You have a destiny to fulfil, many trials to overcome. But the strength you have, will see this world a better place. You are the last to carry Thoth’s genes.

Who?

Thoth came to Earth to change the beings into the people you are. You are here to continue his work

What do you mean? Why…why me?

The old Chinese man smiled down at her. Of course, she would not remember. Because you volunteered.

Volunteered! What have I volunteered for?

There was no answer. He was gone.

Then she awoke, it had been a dream, the same as before. She looked at the space by her wardrobe and remembered the last time he visited her; her father was home then and he came to rescue her. Now it was just her and her mother.

A wave of sadness rolled over her as she remembered her father was away again. She tried to remember when she could have volunteered. She could not even remember talking to a Chinaman before: there was only Chan’s Father but he was nothing like this Wang Soo. Finally, after laying there the rest of the night trying to work everything out the morning broke and a new day started. As the school day wore on the memory of Wang Soo left her mind.

****

Jennifer’s teen years were times of highs and lows. This should have been a time of adolescent happiness but the protracted absences of her father, her mother’s drinking and the number of men who came and stayed for a while before moving on, had put a dampener on everything she did. Now at nineteen, her studies were over. Her schooling had been easy, and she was now a medical officer and chronicler.

Her father was away most of the time now, his trips getting longer and longer. His last trip lasted just under two years. Now he had been away for almost as long, her exams were three weeks ago and graduation was in six weeks; the one thing she asked for was that he would be here to see her graduate.

The school principal had told her she was the top in the para-medical class and will be receiving a book as a prize.

She desperately wanted her father to see her get her degree and that book. A wash of sadness flowed over her; it always seemed that she was not important enough for him to be home with her, in her important times. Other girl’s fathers were there, why wasn’t he? The sad teenager let out a sigh and continued her walk towards the lake. No use complaining, dad’s work made it possible for her to go to university, crossed her mind.

The others would already be down there swimming and enjoying themselves; best put on a brave, happy face.

Jennifer hurry, the child needs you.

Without questioning the inner voice, she broke into a run. She could hear screams coming from the lake. A child lay on the beach with a deep gash running the entire length of one leg. Jennifer’s medical training kicked in automatically. Off came her freshly cleaned shirt to be used to wipe away the blood. The wound was too deep to do anything with here; the child had to go to hospital. Wrapping the shirt around the leg to stem the blood flow, she picked up the child and ran towards the hospital. People looked at her as she ran down the street but getting the child to hospital was too important to worry about that.

The doctors smiled as she explained what she had done. It was not until one of the nurses told her to put on a hospital gown that she looked down, to see two bare breasts. She had not put her bathers on before going to the beach; she had run through the middle of town not wearing anything on top. Her face went three shades of red.

The child will live because of your quick actions, said one of the nurses, trying to ease her embarrassment.

It was late that night when she was in bed, after having listened to her mother’s incessant drunken ramblings about being embarrassed because her daughter had run topless, through town, that Jennifer’s thoughts returned to the voice, who was Wang Soo? What did he want?

Chapter 6: Comes of Age,

Tuesday 15th of August 2236

The University Dean gave her the two degrees and shook her hand.

Now you can follow in your father’s footsteps, The mention of her father brought back the old foolish, but persistent guilt of not being a boy to replace her dead brother.

She nodded and walked slowly back to where the graduating students were assembled. Everybody else was bubbling with joy; they had their degrees and now were ready to go out into the world.

Come on Jennifer, you’ve got your degrees, be happy, at least once, her classmates liked her but her continual sadness and isolation had prompted them to exclude her from many class parties.

She looked at him in disbelief, she had not realised they were reading her quite so well.

I’m sorry; I was so looking forward to my father being here.

Turn around, One of the boys said looking over her shoulder. She looked at him. Turn around.

She slowly turned around and fell straight into her father’s arms. Tears flowed as her greatest wish was granted; her father had seen her graduate. His great arms engulfed her in a hug only a father can give his daughter.

Jenny, you’re being called, someone shouted across the swirling mass of students. The stewards were looking for her to go up and get her prize. The book did not mean a thing; her complete joy at seeing her father swamped the speech the Dean gave about her coming first in the Para-medical studies, all she cared about was that her father was down there waiting for her. Now she knew she would be with him on his next survey.

****

Mayor Le'castle showed Jason to a chair in his office, Jason, Thanks for coming in. How was the trip?

Not a lot to report, I’ll get my report to you by Monday. Many small clusters of villages, most into farming although they appeared to be in better health that I expected. No technology, any factories that were there aren't being used and the people are making use of old implements, although there is one town where the locals have set up a forge and are beginning to turn out some quite reasonable horse drawn implements. No one has looked at steam, although we showed them how to make a steam engine and left drawings with them.

Think they'll make one?

Jason thought for a few seconds. Ahh. Yes, although they have plenty of horses so it won't be for a while.

Anything else we can do for them?

Not at this stage. I've suggested we go back in five to ten years to see how they are going, He looked out of the window as lightning forked in the sky. By that time, they should have a reasonable manufacturing base going and we can offer more help. It's all in my report. They know where we are so they can always ask for help.

The Mayor nodded, Jason was the best survey team leader, his reports were thorough. The reason I wanted to see you is that the radio boys have been receiving strange message that suggest someone has nuclear power or possibly even atomic weapons. We can't be certain exactly what because the reception is very spasmodic, caused by something they call ionosphere skip. Not sure what it is but it appears to be coming from the deep in the south western side of the continent.

Atomic weapons? All of a sudden Jason had forgotten about the storm outside. Do we know how many they have?

No and it may not be weapons, remember the pre-wars used nuclear energy to power a lot of their technology so it could be that. But we need to know, the Mayor stood up and looked out of the window, I've told the radio people to give you everything they've got. I just hope there are no more atomic weapons out there, not after that one went off in Terriville, the thoughts of losing the five thousand people of Terriville to an atomic weapon still played on him. No one knew it was there; it was only after they started to clear away the old military base that they found it. Get a team together and leave as soon as you can, we have to know what we are facing. Oh! I hear your daughter has qualified as a medic; will you take her with you?

Probably, couldn't leave her with my wife, he gave a small wince, at the thought of the damage his wife's drinking and sexual escapades must be doing to Jennifer. If only he had been here more often, Samantha wouldn't have been so lonely and she wouldn't have started to drink as much. Perhaps even David would still be alive. He let out a sigh.

I’ll get planning to give you all the information we have on the west coast. Let me know just before you leave, The mayor had finished with him.

Jason walked back to the house and wondered what the strange radio messages really meant, were there still atomic weapons out there? His thoughts picked up as he thought of his daughter accompanying him on the trip. He had some misgivings about women being on survey teams. There were several stories of them being abducted and raped, or even killed. Jason had lost four men on previous trips. However, how could he deny Jennifer this opportunity. She had worked so hard to pass. No, she could come with him, for this trip at least.

Chapter 7: Luster and the Mansions

Hey guys look at that! Manuel was pointing at a building surrounded by scaffolding, an exceedingly rare sight these days. He got off his bike and walked over to the edge of the road. Without a sound, the edge collapsed from under him sending him shooting off down the hill. With the screed acting like ball bearings, he accelerated faster and faster until he came to rest in a pile of rock and screed at the bottom of the valley floor.

Manuel you okay? shouted Jim.

No answer. He just lay there.

Doesn’t look too bad, Jennifer was looking through a pair of binoculars studying his limp form. How can we get down there? Too steep here.

Go back about two kilometres. The hill wasn’t as steep we should be able to get down there, answered Jason.

Even here, two kilometres back down the road the slope was enough to make climbing down perilous. Leaving the bikes on the road, they clambered down, going from bush to bush to stop sliding on the loose stones. Jason was heading the group when he grabbed a thorny bush, the poison on the thorns shot so much pain up his arm, his immediate reaction was to let go. Without the hand hold, he went sliding down the slope swearing all the way. Midway his right leg caught a bush and spun him around so he was heading downhill headfirst. Jennifer screamed but had enough sense not to run after him. Two bushes at the bottom of the slope arrested his momentum albeit with several deep cuts to the top of his head and cheek.

Dad you alright? She half ran and half slid the last three meters.

I...think so Jen, he rubbed his head and noticed the blood trickling down the side of his face.

How’s Manuel? asked Jason while Jennifer did her best to stem the flow of blood from his lacerated head.

Don’t know Dad, the others have gone off to look for him.

Shit stop that I’m okay, she had been prodding to see if there were any broken bones.

With his daughter’s help, Jason scrambled to his feet and immediately headed off in the wrong direction.

Dad this way.

Can’t find him Jason, Jim was looking a little concerned.

What do y’a mean? He was lying here.

Not now, the others are fanning out.

Sure, it’s the right spot? asked Jason.

Yeh! There’s blood on the rocks and I can just see his bike up there, Jim was looking up at where the roadway had fallen away.

Over here, Mike had found some footprints in the soft earth. The others rushed over and followed the prints until they disappeared in rocky ground.

Search around. They must go some where.

Over here, Again, it was Mike who found the prints. They followed them but again the prints disappeared on the rocky ground.

For the rest of the day they searched in vain. No one had thought to bring food so that night was spent sleeping on a grassy patch with only sips of water from Jim’s water flask.

At first light, they were up and ready to go. Manuel’s footprints were headed down the valley before they were lost on the hard ground. With this, the only clue, they started off down the valley. The valley split in two a little way ahead. The travellers did likewise but under strict instructions to be back at the valley junction no later than nightfall. The terrain was not steep but the loose pebbles made walking treacherous and very slow. By nightfall, they had all returned to the junction without any sign of Manuel or his footprints.

Where in hell could he be? Jennifer was getting worried. It looked like he had lost quite a bit of blood going by the amount on the ground where he had landed.

We’re not going anywhere until we find him, answered Jason out of consideration for his daughter and his loyalty to an old friend. They settled down for a night of fasting, but one of the group had found some edible berries. A fire was lit to act to warn them and to act as a beacon should Manuel be about.

Quiet, someone said.

Now there was silence they could hear a rustling as though someone or something was coming through the bushes towards them. With a gesture of Jim’s hand, two guards quickly headed off in the opposite directions in order to circle around behind the noise. No one talked as the noise slowly came towards them, but every gun was trained in that direction.

Jason, Jim, its Manuel, he’s hurt, someone shouted.

Lighted logs were snatched up as everyone headed out to where the guards had found Manuel crawling along the ground.

Manuel had sustained a concussion and a dislocated kneecap during his ride down the hillside; a little rest and manipulation for the kneecap would have him up and around but the swelling would take some time to go down. Next morning Jason sent everyone out to find some food and bring the bikes down for safekeeping.

Jason, there’re lights in that building, Manuel was still a little concussed but was quite able to talk.

Jennifer looked at him, concerned about the concussion.

No, I saw them. Wait ‘til tonight. There was a sound like a motor and then lights came on in the top rooms.

You’ve got concussion Manuel.

Yeh! Wait ‘till tonight.

By nightfall, they had a small camp established.

Jason, check out that building, said Manuel trying to ignore the pain.

Jason and Jim set out for the clearing from where they could see the